Taipei 101 & Xinyi — The City's Vertical Icon and Financial Heart
Taipei (台北 — the capital and largest city of Taiwan (officially the Republic of China), population approximately 2.7 million city / 7 million metropolitan area — the economic, political, and cultural centre of Taiwan, a city of night markets, hot springs, Buddhist temples, and the world-famous Taipei 101 skyscraper): Taipei 101 and the Xinyi district represent the modern face of one of Asia's most dynamic cities.
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Taipei 101 — The World's Tallest Building (2004-2010)
Taipei 101 (台北101 — the 508-metre supertall skyscraper in the Xinyi district of eastern Taipei, completed 2004 — the tallest building in the world from its completion in 2004 until the opening of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010, now the tallest green-certified building in the world (LEED Platinum)): the building (designed by the Taiwanese architect C.Y. Lee, with 101 floors (the number being a reference to going one better than 100, symbolizing perfection surpassed) in the characteristic segmented pagoda form (8 segments of 8 floors each — 8 (八 — bā) being the luckiest number in Chinese culture, associated with prosperity)) is the defining landmark of modern Taipei; the observation decks (the indoor observatory on the 89th floor (392 metres) and the outdoor observation deck on the 91st floor (391 metres) give the finest 360° panoramic view of Taipei — the Taipei basin ringed by volcanic mountains (Yangmingshan to the north) and the Central Mountain Range; the Taipei 101 New Year fireworks (the most watched fireworks display in Asia, broadcast live in over 100 countries) are launched from the building every December 31-January 1.
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Xinyi District — Taipei's Modern Luxury Hub
Xinyi District (信義區 — the financial and luxury shopping district of eastern Taipei, developed from the 1980s as a planned commercial district — the most modern and internationally oriented commercial district in Taiwan, comparable to Shanghai's Lujiazui or Tokyo's Shinjuku): the Xinyi district skyline (the cluster of supertall skyscrapers including Taipei 101, the Nan Shan Plaza, the TAIPEI NANSHAN, and the W Hotel tower) is the defining modern image of Taiwan; the ATT 4 Fun and Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Xinyi department store complex (the largest concentration of luxury retail in Taiwan) and the Warner Village multiplex (the largest cinema in Taipei) make Xinyi the most complete international-standard entertainment and retail district in Taiwan; the Xinyi night scene (the street life around the plaza fountains between the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi towers, the alfresco dining of the Bellavita luxury mall terrace, and the panoramic rooftop bars in the Taipei 101 vicinity) is the most sophisticated in Taipei.
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Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan) — The Best View of Taipei
Elephant Mountain (象山 — Xiangshan, literally 'Elephant Mountain', 183 metres — the small mountain on the eastern edge of the Xinyi district, immediately east of Taipei 101 — the most popular urban hiking destination in Taipei): the Xiangshan trail (the 1.5 km trail ascending the rocky ridge of Elephant Mountain from the trailhead at the end of Alley 342 of Songlong Road in Xinyi) takes approximately 30-40 minutes to ascend to the main viewing platform (the rocky outcrop known as the 'Four Great Rocks' (四巨石 — Sì Jùshí)) at approximately 183 metres, from which the view of Taipei 101 and the Xinyi skyline is the finest in the city; the Xiangshan hike is most spectacular at dusk (approximately 30-60 minutes before sunset, when the sky behind the mountains turns orange-red and the city lights begin to come on, producing the classic twilight view of Taipei 101 against the sunset sky) and at night (when the city is fully lit below and the 101 tower is fully illuminated).
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Taipei Financial District & the Tech Economy
Taipei's financial and technology economy (Taiwan's status as the most important semiconductor manufacturing centre in the world — the 'Silicon Shield' — and the economic dynamics that have made Taipei one of the wealthiest cities in Asia): Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC — 台積電, founded 1987 by Morris Chang in Hsinchu (the science park 70 km south of Taipei)) is the most important industrial company in the world technology supply chain, manufacturing more than 90% of the world's most advanced semiconductors (chips below 5 nanometre process node); the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學工業園區 — the technology industrial park south of Taipei, accessible by HSR (High Speed Rail) in 20 minutes, housing TSMC, MediaTek, United Microelectronics Corporation, and the concentration of Taiwanese tech companies that make Taiwan the world's most important technology manufacturing nation); the COMPUTEX trade show (held annually in Taipei in May-June — the second largest electronics trade show in the world after CES, the primary venue for the global computer hardware industry) reflects Taipei's central role in the global electronics industry.
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Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall & Chiang Kai-shek Memorial
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (國立國父紀念館 — the memorial hall in the Xinyi district dedicated to Sun Yat-sen (孫中山 — 1866-1925), the founding father of the Republic of China, the leader of the 1911 Xinhai Revolution that overthrew the Qing dynasty — the largest memorial hall in Taipei, with a 40-metre-high pagoda-style roof (the characteristic double-eave hip roof in the Chinese imperial yellow-and-blue colour scheme)): the changing of the guard ceremony at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (the hourly ceremony in which the two ceremonial guards (衛兵 — wèibīng) at the bronze statue of Sun Yat-sen are relieved, with the precise choreographed military drill performed entirely in silence) is the most-watched free daily performance in Taipei; Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂 — the massive white marble memorial hall in the centre of Taipei dedicated to Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石 — 1887-1975), the generalissimo of the Republic of China who led the Nationalist government to Taiwan in 1949): the memorial's 76-metre-high blue octagonal roof (the largest traditional Chinese roof in Taiwan) and the 89-step approach stairway (referencing Chiang Kai-shek's age at death) are the most dramatic architectural statement in central Taipei.
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Taipei City Hall Plaza & Outdoor Events
Taipei City Hall Plaza (台北市政府廣場 — the large public square in front of Taipei City Hall in the Xinyi district — the principal public event space in Taipei, used for free outdoor concerts, seasonal festivals, and the Taiwan Design Expo): the plaza hosts the famous Taipei New Year's Eve countdown (the largest public gathering in Taiwan, approximately 100,000 people gathering in the Xinyi district each December 31 to watch the Taipei 101 fireworks and the countdown display on the City Hall building), the Taipei Lantern Festival (the largest lantern festival in Taiwan, held on the 15th day of the Chinese New Year (February) — the plaza filled with elaborate lantern installations and live cultural performances), and the Taipei Gay Pride Parade (the Pride Parade Asia (台灣同志遊行) held annually in Taipei every October — the largest LGBT pride event in Asia, with approximately 200,000 participants (2019 figures), reflecting Taiwan's status as the most socially liberal society in Asia and the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage (2019)).